Mulayam Singh Yadav: Netaji, a towering voice of socialist ideas

Mulayam Singh Yadav: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav breathed his last on Monday after suffering prolonged illness.

Born on November 22, 1939, Yadav first became an MLA in the Uttar Pradesh assembly 1967. During his second term as an MLA, he was pivotal in opposing the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, and was jailed like many opposition leaders.

The three-time UP Chief Minister was a key component in Opposition in his native Uttar Pradesh as well as national politics.

Widely regarded as Netaji, Yadav first served as Defence Minister in the United Front government in 1996. The 90s phase saw an active rise of regional parties and alliance governments. When the Atal Bihari-led government disintegrated in 1999, Yadav's Samajwadi Party chose not to back Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

The socialist leader established himself as an OBC stalwart as he rose in UP politics.

Read More:- Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav no more

SP founder's deteriorating health made him quit active politics in 2012 and he passed on the baton to his son Akhilesh Yadav.

This followed fissures within the party, which eventually resulted in Yadav sacking his own son right before 2017 state elections.

The father-son duo later patched up with reins in Akhilesh's hands.

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